Pages

Friday, May 22, 2015

Birmingham finally has a children's museum! Itty Bitty Magic City, designed for ages kindergarten and younger, opened on May 16. Itty Bitty Magic City is located on the second floor inside the McWane Science Center, located in downtown Birmingham at the corner of 2nd Ave North and 19th St North. I have visited several children's museums over the years and have always wanted one in Birmingham. I'm so happy this opened in time for Jaxon to get to enjoy for a couple of years!

Built to resemble a classic Main Street, Itty Bitty Magic City contains a diner, a market, a vet clinic, a market, a farm, a post office, a house, a fire station, and a mechanic's garage. Each area is designed to facilitate creative play and has room for multiple children to play at the same time.

At the diner, there is plenty of play food and space for several chefs to prepare and serve food. Jaxon had a great time taking my order and assembling pizzas and sandwiches for me. At the farm, kids can plant and harvest vegetables or "milk" a cow.

Jaxon's favorite place was the fire station. He dressed in a fireman's jacket and had fun running the lights and sirens and pretending to drive the truck.

In the mechanic's shop, Jaxon replaced a "bad" battery and added fluids to the car. The battery buzzed when inserted incorrectly and lit up green when placed correctly.

There is also an elevated climbing/playground area (built so that parents can easily enter as well), a water play area, a building area with giant soft blocks and a conveyor belt, and a large train table. There are so many things to do that each visit can be a unique experience.

Playground and climbing structure at Itty Bitty Magic City

Water Play Area at Itty Bitty Magic City

For its youngest patrons, Itty bitty Magic City offers a tot spot. The tot spot features foam blocks and soft surfaces for climbing and crawling. The area is only for ages 2 and younger. There is a low wall separating it from the rest of itty bitty magic city, making it easy for moms of multiple children to supervise preschoolers while baby explores the tot spot.

Tot Spot at Itty Bitty Magic City

Train table at Itty Bitty Magic City

Itty Bitty Magic City also features classroom space. While we were there, two programs on "pets" took place. Jaxon was too excited about the fire truck to attend the program but I'm looking forward to seeing what other fun things are offered in Itty Bitty Magic City in the future.

The entrance to Itty Bitty Magic City is manned by a McWane center employee, which helps keep children over kindergarten age out, though siblings of young children are welcome with their parents. There is stroller parking at the front and ample seating for parents throughout the play space.

A day pass to McWane (which includes admission to Itty Bitty Magic City) is $13 for adults and $9 for children aged 2 and older. Parking in the deck is $5 per vehicle. A family membership to McWane is a great value at $110 per year and includes free parking in the deck with each visit as well as discounts on iMax passes and the cafe. For more information, visit McWane.org. You may also check out my previous review of McWane Center here.I was not compensated in any way for this post. All opinions are my own.